Annie's Mailbox: Former bedwetters unite, offer advice to boyfriend

Dear Annie: This is in response to "Bedwetter," who is afraid to move in with his girlfriend for fear she'll find out he still wets the bed.

My oldest son had a problem with bedwetting and was unable to attend sleepovers because he didn't want his friends to know he wore pull-ups at night. My husband and I decided to take him to a urologist, and it was the best decision we ever made. His doctor explained that most people's brains produce a chemical at night that stops or slows urine production. My son's body wasn't producing this chemical on its own. The doctor prescribed a drug that worked immediately, and my son had no accidents as long as he took the medicine before bed. It changed his life.

I strongly urge "Bedwetter" to make an appointment with a urologist as soon as possible. - Happy Mother of an Ex-Bedwetter

Dear Mother: Thank you. We also recommend that readers check the National Kidney Foundation at 1-888-925-3379 for additional information. We heard from a great many readers on this subject and appreciate their desire to help. Here are a few of their suggestions:

From New York: My brothers and I were bedwetters into elementary school. It made life both difficult and shameful. When my children had the same problem, I took them to the homeopathic doctor who had been helping me with my allergies. She said research shows this can be an inherited problem. She said it was handed down by some distant ancestor who had syphilis. I have no idea whether this is true, and it doesn't really matter. Her remedies took care of the problem for my kids. What a blessing. This young man has a real problem. No woman wants to sleep with someone wearing diapers. He needs help.

Florida: When I learned I was pregnant, my mother told me, "Congratulations. Now you won't wet the bed anymore." I didn't. When my son was desperate to quit bedwetting, he heard that honey would help. He hated honey, but took a teaspoon every night before bedtime. I don't remember how long he had to suffer, but eventually, he stopped wetting the bed.

Texas: My teenage grandson had the same problem, and nothing his doctor recommended helped. My daughter found a bedwetting alarm online that trains the brain to wake up when there is an urge to urinate. After all the years of bedwetting, it only took three days before my grandson had a wet-free night and about a week before the problem was solved completely.

Ithaca, N.Y.: I wanted to add to your list of suggestions that this fellow seek out a chiropractor who has a proven track record with correcting nocturnal enuresis (nighttime bedwetting). The chiropractor would be able to determine whether the enuresis is coming from spinal nerve interference. If so, then the man is in the right place for permanent correction of a problem whose solution will not be found with medications. I have been fortunate enough to have helped a half-dozen people with this problem who suffered needlessly for years because they did not know that a qualified chiropractor could help.

Chicago: We had that same problem in our family for years, and a friend told us that it could be due to a dairy allergy. After removing all dairy from his diet, our son stopped wetting the bed within 24 hours. Dairy hides in lots of foods, so be sure to read the ingredients and look for anything with milk, casein, cheese, sour cream, whey or yogurt. For some reason, butter and goat cheese were not a problem.